It seems once you start reviewing coffee table type books you start getting coffee table type books. This time I
am not discussing yet another book published by DK, however. but rather one published by Time. Time America: An Illustrated History is a collection drawn from Time magazine’s “wealth of reporting” and “the vast archives of the Time Inc. Picture collection.” Here is how the publishers describe it:
The volume features over 500 unforgettable portraits that capture some of the most influential figures of our nation’s time, partaking in momentous events that have taken place in the United States over more than two centuries–from our nations birth in 1776, as it chronicles our early struggles for freedom and equality, to more modern events including the first moon landing and the arrival of rock-n-roll and the age of technology.
As compared to the DK volumes I discussed, this one seems much more visual and iconic. It really is an attempt to capture not just history through photography by historical photography. Not in an artistic sense but in a more journalistic sense.
I will admit that I found it a tad politically correct; from Native Americans and McCarthy to Vietnam, Katrina, and global warming it had that sense to me of looking back and capturing a modern liberal perspective on those events.
But if you are a history or a photo buff this volume will surely appeal to you. It really is a visual tour through American history and the photos and illustrations included are sure to spark learning as well as discussion and debate. It is an effective companion to the study of the events themselves.
